


Of Traps and Tradition

by eexiee



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Dragon Slayers, Dragons, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Fantasy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-30
Updated: 2013-06-30
Packaged: 2019-03-06 07:04:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13405980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eexiee/pseuds/eexiee
Summary: Yifan comes from a village of dragon slayers, and he's spent his entire life training for the moment he gets to go slay his own dragon. Unfortunately, it doesn't go at all as planned.





	Of Traps and Tradition

**Author's Note:**

> Fill at exopromptmeme, originally posted on Livejournal.

He’s been watching the dragon fly around for weeks now. Every few days it appears above the treetops and Yifan keeps tabs on its location.  
  
Yifan knows what’s coming next. He’s been finished with his Slayer training for a few days now and knows that his final duty is imminent. Technically he’s not supposed to know what this duty is, but his friend Luhan has a big mouth. He’ll be asked to slay a dragon—not a wyvern, like he’s practiced on, but a true, fully-grown dragon.

That’s why he’s chosen this dragon. It’s slightly smaller than other dragons he’s seen, but this one looks more cunning, and in his experience and from the stories he’s heard, dragons with intelligence are far more difficult to slay than dragons with strength. Besides, this one has beautiful, sleek black scales that Yifan is sure will make a beautiful memento of his first kill.

Today, the dragon comes out again, the sun glinting off of its back, and Yifan admires how elegant it looks as it swoops down to feast on an eagle flying in the air. This dragon has an obvious penchant for eating eagles, and Yifan’s knowledge of that fact will be put to good use.

He’s thinking of building a trap, one that the dragon won’t recognize until it’s too late. Preferably it will injure the dragon enough so he doesn’t struggle, but Yifan doesn’t want the scales to get overly damaged, since they’re so beautiful. He figures he’ll use eagles as bait, so he might want to start catching them now. Maybe he’ll just get Xiumin to hunt them.

Yifan is called to the elders’ cottage several days later, and he follows the older Slayers with a smirk on his face.

It ends up being a very formal ceremony to which Yifan pays very little attention. He’s just waiting for the elders to give him his task. They do, after what feels like several long hours in their cottage.

“Yifan, you are charged with killing a dragon and bringing back a fresh scale as proof. If you fail to do so within the period of two months, you will be demoted to hunter status and will not be allowed to attempt the task again until you have completed two more years of training,” one elder explains.

The chieftain clears his throat. “Do you, Yifan, accept the terms of this task?”

“I accept,” Yifan says clearly, excitement blooming in his chest.

“Then it shall be done,” the chieftain says, and Yifan bows deeply before being escorted out of the cottage, where Luhan and Xiumin are waiting to congratulate him.

“Ready?” Luhan asks excitedly, and Yifan scoffs.

“Please. I’ve been ready for weeks.”

   
  
  
  
  
  


It only takes him a few days to decide on how the trap will be built. Yifan sees when the dragon leaves to go hunting, and he ventures into the forest where he’s determined the dragon’s nest to be. It’s an intricate system of ropes and well-hidden blades, nearly all the materials covered in the thick stench of forest fowl. It’ll end in a few blades, aimed precisely to administer two deep cuts to the dragon’s ever-important hind legs, one shallow one to its chest, and if Yifan’s lucky, the way he sets it up will bruise the dragon’s neck so that it won’t be able to breathe fire for a little bit. It will end in a large cage with strong bars that are so close together not even a dog would be able to get through.

Yifan knows the dragon is cunning, but Yifan fancies himself a little wiser than a hungry dragon. He thinks his trap is perfect.

He sets it up alone, as is required by the elders. It’s really not a difficult task; Yifan’s been practicing tying ropes and sinking hidden blades into the ground. It takes him maybe an hour—he knows it’s all he has because the dragon usually only hunts for nearly that long.

He goes back to village to wait for a while, and Xiumin and Luhan are there, playing a game of Cobu.

“How’d your trap set up go?” Luhan asks, looking up from the little pieces on their board.

“Fine,” Yifan replies. “The dragon should be caught in no time.”

“You’re awfully confident,” Xiumin says, not looking up from the game at all. “You seem to think it’s going to go smoothly.”

Yifan laughs. “That’s because it  _is_. I have nothing to worry about. I’ve been planning this for ages and it’s going to go perfectly. I’ll hardly have to work at all. Besides, you only joined the village a year ago. You’re a hunter; you wouldn’t know what it’s like to kill a dragon. Luhan knows, but you don’t. It’ll be easy.”

Xiumin shrugs, and Luhan smiles a grin that Yifan finds incredibly obnoxious. “Whatever you say,” Xiumin says. Xiumin contemplates his next move.

“So, how long do you think you’ll wait before you go check the trap?” Luhan wonders, and Yifan brushes his hair out of his eyes.

“Probably an hour or so. Just enough for the dragon to get freaked out,” Yifan replies. The dragon will be scared and weakened, and it will be the perfect chance for Yifan to kill it. Of course, he could have built the trap to kill the dragon, but the job of a slayer is to kill the dragon with his own hands, so Yifan will do just that.

“If you’re going to wait an hour, you probably have time for a game of Cobu, then,” Xiumin says, and Yifan shrugs.

“Sure,” he replies, and he sits down with his friends and waits for them to finish their game (Xiumin wins) before starting one of his own.

   
  
  
  
  
  
  


A little more than an hour has passed when Yifan goes back to kill the dragon. He has a flint blade with him—sharper than a razor and translucent black. It’s the best way to slay a dragon.

He swaggers through the forest with overconfidence, anticipation building up. He finally gets to destroy the dragon he’d been watching for weeks. He sees little pieces of the trap he’d set up here and there, and it’s just as it’s supposed to be. Yifan figures it worked perfectly.

That is, until he reaches where the dragon was supposed to be trapped. There’s no dragon there at all.

He swears and runs up to the cage, cursing every god.

Yifan hadn’t noticed from far away, but now that he’s up against the cage, he can clearly see the form of a person lying on the ground inside of the cage. He growls, wondering who the hell would have the audacity to break his trap and proceed to get stuck in it.

He unlocks the door to the cage, but the person doesn’t move. Yifan bites his tongue in half-interest, half-frustration, and he approaches the person, whose back is facing Yifan.

It’s a man with sleek black hair—he’s smaller than Yifan, but still quite human—and the man is completely naked, his white skin and sinewy muscles on plain view. Yifan sighs loudly, wondering if maybe this man is one of the wild men from the south. He nudges his shoulder with his boot, and when the man doesn’t respond, Yifan shakes him with his boot. The man flops over onto his back, and Yifan notices that the man is injured.

“Oh, for gods’ sakes,” he groans, bending down to pat the man’s face, hoping that it will wake him up. The man’s eyes flicker open, and Yifan won’t deny that he’s slightly relieved that the man isn’t dead. “Who are you?” he demands. “Where have you come from?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” the man says in a weak but unmistakably sarcastic voice. “Maybe I flew here.”

Yifan is having none of it. “Answer me,” he snarls.

“I did,” the man retorts, wincing in pain momentarily.

“I have a flint blade that’s meant for a dragon, but if you refuse to cooperate, I won’t hesitate to use it on you,” Yifan growls, and the man laughs with the little air he has in his lungs.

“I guess you found what you were looking for, then,” he says. “Use it on me, why don’t you? Take a lock of my hair back to your elders—I’m sure that will please them.”

Yifan draws back in surprise—the wild men shouldn’t know about the customs of dragon slayers—and he takes a good look at the man’s wounds.

Two deep cuts on his thighs, a shallow one on his chest, and—

Bruises on his neck.

“Y-you’re the dragon?” Yifan cries, stumbling back, and the man gives Yifan an unimpressed look.

“Oh,  _very_  good,” the dragon replies. “Wow, you’re so perceptive.”

Yifan is devastated. “I can’t kill you like this!” he cries. “I can’t kill a human—and moreover, I can’t just bring back your hair to the elders!”

“Why don’t you bring back one of my teeth?” the dragon asks, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Or my eyes?”

“What am I going to do? Gods, can’t you just turn back into a dragon or something?” Yifan demands, rounding on the dragon.

The dragon looks offended. “What, so you can kill me? Not likely. And even if I wanted to, I can’t with these injuries.”

“How did you even turn human?” Yifan asks, close to tears of frustration. “I’ve never heard of this happening!”

The dragon sighs. “It has to do with my injuries, but I’m not going to tell you what it is, because I don’t want to make it easier for you to kill me. I will put up a fight.”

Yifan drops to the ground, his head in his hands. “I’ll…I’ll have to tend to your wounds, then. And—”

“What makes you think I’d let you tend to my wounds?” the dragon demands.

“Because you’d die with wounds like that,” Yifan says, looking up. The dragon sneers.

“I’m going to die anyway, aren’t I?” he asks. “You’ll heal me just so you can kill me.”

“So you’d rather die of these injuries than put up a fight against me later?” Yifan asks, and the dragon looks to be at a loss for words for the first time. “So then let me heal you. I won’t kill you while you’re in human form, I promise.”

“Fine,” the dragon spits, turning away from Yifan.

“Do you have a name?” Yifan asks, figuring that if he’s going to have to live with this dragon for a while, he may as well attempt to forge a friendship.

“Jongdae, in my language,” the dragon replies, but Yifan shakes his head.

“That won’t do if I’m going to bring you back to the village…how about we name you Chen?” Yifan asks. Jongdae grimaces but doesn’t protest. “Okay, Chen. Here’s your story. You’re a wild man from the south who I found injured while I was attempting to catch a dragon. You’ll live in my cottage until your wounds are healed.”

“And then what? You’ll release me? I won’t come back since I know you’re here waiting to kill me. Or will you put me back in this cage? I’ll put up a fight. And of course I won’t just face you.”

“You don’t have any confidence,” Yifan remarks.

“And you have too much,” Jongdae retorts. Yifan sighs loudly.

“Get up,” he says.

“I can’t, thanks to you. Do you see these gashes in my legs?” Jongdae asks, and he points down at his legs for Yifan to see.

“Yeah, I see them. Gods, I’ll just carry you back, then, is that what you want?” Yifan wonders, and Jongdae looks at him with a hint of disgust. Yifan takes that as a “yes” and he picks Jongdae up gently, careful not to jostle him too much. “Also, you’ll need some sort of clothing before we go into the village…wait, here, take my shirt.” He puts Jongdae down and pulls his shirt off, helping Jongdae put it on carefully. Jongdae is significantly smaller than Yifan so the shirt covers everything quite well. He picks Jongdae back up, and Jongdae doesn’t talk for the rest of the trip to the village.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“Oh my Gods!” Luhan cries when Yifan enters the village carrying Jongdae, who’d gone unconscious during the walk. “What happened?” Xiumin jogs up behind Luhan and latches to his friend as he looks at Jongdae.

“Where’s your dragon?” Xiumin asks.

“My—my trap didn’t work. But this guy—I found him injured in the forest. He’s one of the wild men from the south,” Yifan said, hoping that his friends would buy his blatant lie. Xiumin looks only mildly interested and Luhan is more concerned about Jongdae’s wounds than his origin, so Yifan breathes a sigh of relief as his friends help him carry Jongdae into the village.

“What’s his name?” Xiumin wonders.

“Chen,” Yifan replies quickly.

“Oh, like the cat you had when you were small,” Luhan remarks, and Yifan lets out a forced laugh.

“Yeah, what a coincidence.”

Yixing, the village’s healer, is more than happy to welcome Jongdae and heal his wounds. Jongdae remains unconscious all the while and Yifan is just a little bit worried that Jongdae won’t wake up at all. When he voices this concern to Yixing, Yixing laughs and pats Yifan’s back gently.

“He’ll be fine,” Yixing replies. “The wounds will take a long time to heal, but they will heal. Don’t worry, Yifan. He’ll be well enough to move into your cabin tonight and I’ll visit every once in a while to tend to the dressings.” Yixing rubs comforting circles in Yifan’s back, and Yifan steps back.

“What are you doing?” Yifan demands, and Yixing looks at Yifan in surprise.

“You seem really worried. I was just trying to comfort you.” Yixing lets out a short chuckle. “Don’t worry, I’m not hitting on you like Zitao used to, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“Anyone would be worried; look at those wounds,” Yifan says. “Of course I’m worried. I want him to get better.”

Once again, Yixing looks surprised. “Well, that’s a first,” Yixing finally says, putting a salve on Jongdae’s neck to lessen the bruising. He looks up thoughtfully for a moment. “You know, his blood is really dark red. It’s almost purple. I’ve never seen anyone with such interesting oxygen content in their blood. Well, except Xiumin, but we know he’s a little different from the rest of us anyway. Your friend, though—”

“H-he breathes well,” Yifan says stupidly, and Yixing chuckles.  _Of course it’s not because he’s actually a dragon._  Yifan can’t say that.

“Anyway, Yifan, I’ll have him brought to your cottage when he’s better, okay? And when he’s there make sure he’s well taken care of,” Yixing says, and it sounds almost like a warning. Yifan glares at him.

“What, you think I won’t take good care of him?” Yifan demands.

“You’ve been known to be neglectful in the past, is all I’m saying,” Yixing shrugs. “Now out. I need to work in peace.”

Yifan leaves the cottage in a huff and he wonders what on Earth Yixing could possibly mean.

Later that afternoon he brings it up with Luhan, and Luhan just looks at Yifan as if he can’t believe what he’s saying.

“You’re kind of mean, Yifan,” Luhan says matter-of-factly. “You care more about yourself than anyone else and you’re full of hubris. I’m only saying this because I’m your best friend, okay? I know these things about you and I still hang out with you, so don’t take it the wrong way.”

“Oh, then how am I supposed to take that, huh?” Yifan demands, and Xiumin points at Yifan.

“There. See? You’re being mean,” Xiumin says, and Yifan would punch his smug little face if it didn’t further prove Xiumin’s point. He settles for snarling and stalking off to his cottage, where he spends the rest of the day in solitude.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 

Jongdae is accompanied by Zitao when he arrives at Yifan’s door that evening. Zitao is all smiles, tugging on Jongdae’s hand as Yifan opens the door.

“Hi, Yifan!” Zitao grins. “I brought you Chen!” Yifan pinches the bridge of his nose and Jongdae looks less than amused by Zitao’s antics.

“Thanks, Zitao,” Yifan says in a very forced voice, grabbing Jongdae by the shoulders and pulling him inside. Yifan must say he does look much better than he had earlier that day, and with color back in his cheeks he looks almost—

“Yifan!” Zitao interrupts Yifan’s thoughts by waving a hand in front of his face. “Hey, how’d the dragon slaying go? I heard your task was today—I bet you had to slay a dragon right? Did you kill it yet?”

“Go away, Zitao,” Yifan replies irritably, thinking back to just how much of a failure his task had been. “You’ll have your chance and then you can find out for yourself.”

“Okay!” Zitao laughs, wandering off with a wave. “I’m going to slay a rainbow dragon!” he singsongs as Yifan closes the door. He turns to Jongdae, who’s looking a little weakened by the journey to Yifan’s house.

“Do you want to sit down?” Yifan asks, and Jongdae looks as if he’s struggling with his pride before he sighs and nods slowly. Yifan tries to help him to a chair, but Jongdae is having none of it and walks to the chair on his own. “Are you at least feeling a little better?”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Jongdae asks. Yifan sighs and he sits down next to Jongdae.

“I told you I wouldn’t kill you in your human form,” Yifan reminds him. “I swear I won’t.”

“Then what if I just never change back, huh? What if I stay as a human forever?” Jongdae asks, and Yifan has the sudden urge to get up and throw something, but no matter how aggressive Jongdae’s voice is, his eyes are scared. Yifan stays calm.

“Then I guess I’ll have to find another dragon with sleek black scales like yours,” Yifan says, and Jongdae frowns.

“Why can’t you do that anyway?” Jongdae asks, and his voice cracks almost imperceptibly. Yifan looks up.

“What, you’d sacrifice a life for your pride?” Yifan asks, and Jongdae’s jaw drops. “What?” Yifan asks.

“That’s exactly what you’re doing!” Jongdae cries. “See, you’re the reason I hate humans. Because they’re all self-centered like you!”

“You just said you’d do the same thing as me!” Yifan defended himself. “You’re just as self-centered as I am!”

Jongdae grits his teeth in frustration. “I’m trying to get you not to kill anyone at all,” he finally says. “I don’t want to die.”

Suddenly all Yifan wants to do is hug Jongdae until he’s reassured that Yifan won’t kill him.

But of course, he can’t do that, because in the end, Yifan will kill him.

   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“That’s my bed,” Yifan points out. Jongdae smiles from underneath Yifan’s covers.

“You’re very smart, aren’t you?” Jongdae asks in a sarcastic manner. Yifan glowers at him. He likes vulnerable Jongdae much more than snarky Jongdae.

“Get out,” Yifan snaps, but Jongdae doesn’t budge.

“Yixing said you had to take good care of me,” Jongdae says in a childish voice, “so you have to take care of me. And that means I’m going to sleep here.”

Yifan growls in frustration. “You know what? If you keep up like this I actually might kill you in this form. You’re insufferable.”

“Get used to it; I’ll be here for a long time,” Jongdae drawls. He makes himself comfortable in Yifan’s bed. Yifan has no choice.

He gets in the bed next to Jongdae, who bristles momentarily before reverting to his façade of nonchalance. “This bed isn’t big enough for two,” Jongdae says, his off-hand tone fairly unconvincing. Yifan grins.

“It is if we do this,” he replies, wrapping his arms around Jongdae’s middle and pulling him close. Jongdae squirms and protests, but Yifan doesn’t let go and eventually Jongdae stops struggling and restricts himself to a few choice words. “This is comfortable, right?” Yifan teases.

“Yes,” Jongdae surprises Yifan with a quiet reply. Yifan’s even more surprised when Jongdae snuggles a little closer to Yifan and falls asleep within minutes.

This is weird.

He studies Jongdae’s sleeping face. His features, even as a human, look a little draconic. He has sharp cheekbones and a bowed mouth, with pretty red lips—

Yes, and his eyelashes are long. And his body is lithe and Yifan can feel his sinewy muscles ripple as he shifts in the bed. He’s not like Zitao—all hard muscle and overenthusiasm.

Wait, why is he even comparing Jongdae to Zitao? Zitao had been a one-time thing, and Zitao understands that without regret. But Jongdae…Jongdae is not an anytime thing. Not once, not ever. Yifan has to stop comparing him to Zitao.

But tonight, at least, he’ll indulge himself by holding Jongdae close. It’s been a long time since he’s felt the warmth of another person next to him.

   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


When Yifan wakes up, the sun is just rising and Jongdae is practically on top of him. Jongdae’s smiling in his sleep, and it’s not a sarcastic or cynical smile. It’s a real, nice smile, and Yifan knows he shouldn’t be thinking that but he can’t help it.

He looks away from Jongdae’s face, towards the window. Sunlight is peeking through the window shutters, and it looks like it’s going to be a nice day. Yifan subconsciously puts his arm around Jongdae so he doesn’t fall as Yifan shifts a little under the covers. Yifan’s always liked sunny days, especially when there’s a breeze coming from the west.

“Hey,” Jongdae suddenly says, and Yifan nearly falls out of the bed in surprise.

“You’re awake,” Yifan splutters, and Jongdae once again looks unimpressed.

“I’m hungry,” Jongdae says, ignoring Yifan. “Also, why is your hand on my waist?”

“I-I didn’t want you to fall!” Yifan replies defensively.

Jongdae nods knowingly. “Because if I get bruised up again from falling all your healer’s hard work will go to waste and it’ll take you longer to kill me. Am I right?” Jongdae asks. Yifan glares at him.

“Don’t bring that up anymore,” Yifan says. “I already told you multiple times—”

“Yeah, I know. I don’t believe you. I’m hungry,” he repeats, and Yifan groans loudly as he gets out of bed to find something for Jongdae to eat. He goes to his cupboard and finds some salted ham, bread, and a bit of oil for the bread. He wonders if it will be an acceptable meal for a dragon.

Jongdae gobbles up all the food enthusiastically, though, so Yifan doesn’t have to worry for very long.

“You eat well,” Yifan comments, and Jongdae looks up.

“I breathe well too,” he smirks, and Yifan’s mind reels again.

“You were awake?” he cries.

“Yeah, I had to make sure you didn’t kill me in my sleep!” Jongdae retorts. “But you were so worried for me. It was cute. I had a nice long chat with the healer, did you know that? He told me all about you.” Yifan gulps.

“What did he say?” Yifan asks, trying not to sound nervous. He doesn’t want Jongdae to know all the things the others have to say about him.

“He said he’s never seen you so worried or so mellow around someone before,” Jongdae replies in a singsong voice, as if he’s dancing circles around Yifan. He kind of is. “You’re being so cautious around me, but you don’t even know the half of it. I know things that would make your skin crawl.”

“L-like what?” Yifan asks. “I haven’t done anything that crazy…”

“Oh, it’s not about you,” Jongdae says off-handedly. “Let’s just say I have a feeling you won’t kill me in the end.”

Yifan rolls his eyes, not responding because he knows he can’t very well respond with “yes, I am going to kill you.” Jongdae smirks as if he knows what Yifan was going to say anyway. Jongdae eats up the last scrap of ham, and then he stretches. Yifan can’t help but look as he sees Jongdae’s body elongate beautifully, gracefully, every muscle pulled taut. When he’s finished stretching, he eyes Yifan with a smirk and gets up flamboyantly.

He forgets that his legs are weak, though, and he topples into Yifan.

“Are you okay?” Yifan asks quickly, and Jongdae grins.

“Perfect.”

   
  
  
  
  
  
  


They go out into the village that day and Jongdae makes Yifan support him (“it’s your fault my legs are injured, so take responsibility”) for the whole day.

Luhan is excited to meet Jongdae now that he’s awake, but Xiumin is particularly interested in him.

“How long are you staying?” Xiumin asks Jongdae kindly, and Jongdae clings to Yifan’s coat, smiling up at his captor.

“As long as I can,” he replies, and Xiumin seems inexplicably pleased. Luhan, too, is happy that Jongdae wants to stay for a long time, and Yifan wants terribly to agree.

“Is Yifan taking good care of you?” Luhan wonders. “How did you sleep?”

“I could have slept better,” Jongdae says, and Xiumin and Luhan both laugh awkwardly. Yifan laughs too, but he’s not sure what’s so funny. He also could have slept better.

Xiumin makes them all lunch, and Zitao and Yixing are both invited for the meal as well. Jongdae sits impossibly close to Yifan all the while, every few minutes stealing chunks of meat off of his plate. Luhan watches the exchange carefully, noticing that Yifan would not have put up with anyone else who tried to rob him of his food.

Zitao, on the other hand, couldn’t care less. He informs the people gathered in Xiumin and Luhan’s cottage that he spotted a rainbow dragon on the horizon that morning.

Jongdae nods knowingly. “Oh, that’s—” Yifan cuts him off with an elbow to the ribs at the same time Xiumin chokes on his bread, and Luhan has to hit his back several times before he’s able to breathe again.

“Sorry,” Zitao turns to Jongdae when the whole ordeal is passed. “What were you going to say?”

“I was going to say how nice it was. Rainbow dragons are very gentle and loving—so I’ve heard,” Jongdae adds quickly. Yixing smiles.

“Who cares if it’s loving?” Zitao shrugs. “I want to slay a rainbow dragon so I can have a beautiful scale as a prize. Hey, Luhan, where’s the scale you got? You slayed a copper dragon, right?”

“Impaled it,” Luhan grins, and Xiumin rolls his eyes at his friend. Luhan gets up and goes into his room, retrieving the scale to show Zitao. When he returns, he hands the scale to Zitao, and Yifan can’t help but look either. It’s a beautiful coppery red, glossy and unmarked.

“Wow,” Zitao breathes. “So this is the prize for being a dragon slayer.” He says it as if it’s a great thing, and several months ago—even days ago—Yifan would have thought the same thing. But somehow now it seems a little insignificant. Luhan hardly ever goes out to slay dragons anyway, and all he has to show for his rank is this scale—little more than a polished rock.

Yifan glances at Jongdae, who looks surprisingly unperturbed that a reminder of his dead kinsman is being passed around like a trophy. But that’s not what interests Yifan the most. Jongdae’s hair is sleek and black like the scales he’d had. Yifan doesn’t need a scale. He doesn’t want a scale.

What he does want is Jongdae’s porcelain skin, his feline eyes, his graceful movements. He wants his skinny waist and strong cheekbones and taut muscles.

That’s when Jongdae notices Yifan is staring, and he puts a hand on Yifan’s thigh, smiling at him with unexplainable slyness. Yifan bristles, but he can’t say he doesn’t enjoy the feeling.

What has gotten into him?

   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Zitao doesn’t stop talking about the rainbow dragon all afternoon, and Yifan thinks it’s probably a good thing. He’s started to feel a little bad that he’d slept with Zitao that one time even though he didn’t return Zitao’s feelings, and Zitao needs something to distract him from Yifan.

While Zitao rambles on and on about how excited he is to finish his training, Jongdae has started to look tired, and Yifan notices.

“You alright?” he asks, sitting down next to Jongdae. “I’m sorry Zitao keeps talking about that dragon…it’s what we do, you know?” To Yifan’s surprise, Jongdae doesn’t reply with a snarky comment.

“I know; Zitao’s harmless, it’ll be alright,” Jongdae replies, and Yifan wants to tell him that it probably won’t be alright because no matter how harmless Zitao is, he also has to slay a dragon. But Jongdae keeps talking so Yifan bites his tongue. “I’m really tired.”

“Do you want to go back to my place?” Yifan asks, and Jongdae shakes his head. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m a little conflicted is all,” Jongdae replies, leaning on Yifan’s shoulder and closing his eyes. Yifan wonders what Jongdae could possibly be conflicted about, but he doesn’t ask. He ignores Yixing’s extremely indiscreet wink and tries to ignore how much he wants to card his fingers through Jongdae’s hair.

Luhan walks over and sits on the arm of the bench next to Yifan. “I think you’re falling,” Luhan says with a smile.

“What are you talking about?” Yifan snaps, but he can’t deny how close Luhan is to the mark. Maybe it’s because Yifan knows he has to kill Jongdae that it’s so easy to want to take care of him. They only have a limited time together.

“You’re falling for him already,” Luhan says, and Yifan shakes his head.

“Don’t be silly. I have to slay a dragon, I can’t get distracted by stupid things like love.” Luhan shrugs.

“Didn’t hinder me in the least,” he says, and suddenly Yifan is struck by the fact that it’s entirely possible that his two best friends may be romantically involved with each other. After all, Xiumin had joined the village at about the same time as Luhan had been assigned to his final task. They’d stuck to each other for the entire two months of Luhan’s task period until Luhan had finally managed to kill the dragon on the very last day.

“Luhan, you and Xiumin are—”

“We live together, Yifan,” Luhan grins, as if that’s a good explanation. It doesn’t answer Yifan’s question at all. He knows they live together, and they have since Xiumin joined the village.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“We’re like you and Chen,” Luhan replies.

“I highly doubt that,” Yifan says, because he can’t see how anyone would be remotely similar to him and Jongdae. Luhan smiles anyway.

“You’d be surprised. Hey, just so you know, the best way to complete your task is to impale the dragon. That’s what I did.”

“Th-thanks,” Yifan says, surprised. Luhan has never offered advice before. But he wonders if he should heed Luhan’s advice, because Luhan has started giggling like a child who’s told a naughty joke, and it’s scaring Yifan more than a little bit.

Jongdae shifts in his sleep and Yifan wonders if he’s actually awake and listening to the conversation.

   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


That night, Jongdae’s legs have become weak from using them all day, and Yixing volunteers to help Yifan bring him home and tend to his wounds. The two of them support him as they walk out of Xiumin and Luhan’s cottage, but Jongdae complains.

“Yifan, carry me,” he demands, “since it is your fault I’m injured.” Yifan picks him up with a growl, looking at Yixing.

“He’s exaggerating,” Yifan protests, and Jongdae gets closer to Yifan. It makes it easier for him to carry the dragon. Yixing smiles mildly, not looking too terribly worried that Yifan caused Jongdae’s injuries. Yifan wonders if Jongdae told him about the origin of the wounds.

“You know what I think the best thing is?” Yixing begins dreamily. Ordinarily, Yifan would have rolled his eyes, because the healer had always been a little weird, but today, he’s not going to do that.

“What, Yixing?” he asks, and Jongdae looks over at Yixing with curiosity as well.

“Courage. Doing what you think is right,” Yixing says.

“Mm,” Jongdae nods, leaning his head on Yifan’s shoulder as he looks away from Yixing.

“And love is good too,” Yixing says. Jongdae makes a noise and Yifan can’t tell if it’s a laugh or a sniff, but in any case, Yifan can see where this conversation is going.

“That’s nice, Yixing,” Yifan replies, and now Yifan wants to roll his eyes. He wouldn’t mind having this talk if Jongdae wasn’t here—or asleep, but Jongdae never seems to be really asleep—but the fact of the matter is that Jongdae is here and wide awake, and Yifan doesn’t need Jongdae to know that he’s been having less than platonic thoughts about him.

He’s starting to sweat, having to carry Jongdae nearly a quarter mile down to his cottage. The night is hot anyway, but exerting himself like this is only making him warmer. Yixing doesn’t seem to notice. Instead, he shrugs, and as they reach Yifan’s cottage, Yixing suddenly gasps.

“Oh! I left my key at Luhan and Xiumin’s house. Ah—I’ll come tend to your bandages in the morning, Chen. I’m sorry!”

Yifan shakes his head. “It’s fine, Yixing. Have a good night.” Yixing pauses to smile at Yifan before running off back down the road, leaving Jongdae and Yifan alone.

Jongdae is suddenly taking off his shirt and Yifan splutters.

“What are you doing?” he asks, and Jongdae looks at him like he’s crazy.

“It’s hot. We’ll be sharing a bed. I don’t want any more layers of fabric than is necessary,” Jongdae replies. “You take off yours too.”

Yifan wonders if Jongdae is trying to seduce him on purpose, because he doesn’t know how he’s going to get through the night with their bare skin touching. He takes off his shirt anyway and he crawls into bed after Jongdae. Jongdae leans into him, making no moves to hide how cozy he’s getting with Yifan. Yifan doesn’t try to shy away from Jongdae’s touches either.

“You know,” Jongdae whispers, and Yifan bristles because Jongdae’s breath is hitting right beneath his ear. “Yixing had a point.”

“What, when he was talking about—uh, courage?” Yifan asks.

“Yeah. Doing what you think is right. You know what’s right, don’t you? You could just go tell the elders that you don’t want to kill me.”

“How do you know I don’t want to kill you, huh?” Yifan demands, but Jongdae just shifts in Yifan’s grip.

“Trust me,” he chuckles cynically, “I know. Don’t kill me, Yifan. We could just stay like this; be like Luhan and Xiumin. Just pretend I’m a wild man from the south or whatever and you could just tell them that you didn’t want to kill a dragon.”

“They’d demote me to hunter, Jongdae,” Yifan replies with a breath. “I’ve been working my whole life towards this.”

“Why does it matter if you’re a hunter? Isn’t it better than having to kill me? Is your future career more important than my life?”

_No,_  Yifan wants to say. But his pride won’t let him. He can’t say that.

“You know what’s right,” Jongdae says. He traces a line down Yifan’s side, and Yifan shivers. Jongdae’s touch is like fire. He shifts again and now his knee is in between Yifan’s legs. “Goodnight, Yifan.”

“Goodnight,” Yifan replies, swallowing thickly.

He has a lot of things on his mind, the greatest of which is Jongdae’s knee.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Five weeks pass like that and Yifan is now undeniably smitten by Jongdae. There’s something about his sarcastic, biting comments but at the same time his agreeability that really interests Yifan. Not to mention his striking appearance and his lack of hesitation when it comes to touching Yifan.

He panics, of course, because he can’t be in love with the dragon he has to kill.

Yifan wants to tell someone, to explain his predicament, but obviously, he can’t.

He’s pacing around the cottage one afternoon and Jongdae ambles in, having been at Yixing’s to get his wounds checked.

“I’m almost fully he—what’s wrong?” Jongdae asks suddenly. Yifan looks up at him in distress. Jongdae is so handsome and interesting and unattainable. It’s not fair. Jongdae laughs at Yifan. “You look really troubled! What, did someone make a dig at you again?”

“No, nothing like that,” Yifan replies. “I’m just really…confused, I guess.”

“Confused about what? The state of your cottage? I told you I wasn’t going to clean your mess, so you’d better figure it out before the cockroaches start coming,” Jongdae says, and Yifan just sighs because Jongdae is another person he just can’t tell. Jongdae shrugs and makes himself comfortable on the couch when a knock comes at the door.

Yifan goes to open it, and to his surprise, Zitao is standing there. He’s holding a book about rainbow dragons.

“Hi, Yifan!” he says with a bright smile. “How are you?”

“Uh…I’m alright, I guess,” Yifan replies. “How…how are you?”

“I’m good. Hey, I noticed you haven’t gone out to try to slay the dragon since that first time, and I thought maybe you hit a snag. I’ve been reading this book, you see, and it’s really helpful!”

“Is it?” Yifan asks mildly. Zitao nods.

“Did you know that cutting a dragon’s chest with a metal or flint blade will alter its form? It doesn’t say how in the book, but I think that’s pretty interesting! A metal blade won’t kill a dragon.”

Now that’s interesting. “Really? How do you kill it then?”

“Use a crystal or obsidian blade,” Zitao says, looking back at the book. “Yep. Isn’t it weird they don’t teach that at training? I feel like that’s a key bit of information, you know?”

“Yeah…wow, thanks, Zitao!” Yifan says, an idea forming in his head. “That’s really great information. I think I’ll go out right now and try it again!” Zitao grins, glowing with the praise Yifan had just given him.

“I’m going to go see if I can learn more about rainbow dragons,” Zitao says, “but I’m glad I could help you!” He waves goodbye and Yifan closes the door, walking back into the parlor.

“Who was that?” Jongdae asks, looking up from a book.

“Zitao,” Yifan replies.

“What did he want?”

“Nothing. But he said he’d noticed that I haven’t gone out to attempt to kill you. So I should go and pretend to do that. Do you want to come with me?” Yifan asks, trying not to trip over his words.

Jongdae shrugs. “Sure. I have nothing better to do.”

   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The forest is shared between two villages. Yifan’s village is to the north, and the West Village borders the forest southwest of Yifan’s. Yifan has never been to the West Village, nor has he met anyone from there, but they’re rumored to be fearsome warriors and excellent dragon slayers.

Yifan brings along an obsidian blade, and Jongdae doesn’t even bat an eyelash. He knows Jongdae knows about the blades, so he’s surprised that Jongdae isn’t more on guard.

Of course, he’s not planning to kill Jongdae—at least not today. This is all for appearances.

They hear a rustle in the bushes near them, and Jongdae stops in his tracks. Yifan keeps walking, sure that it’s just a rabbit or something. “Come on, Jongdae, let’s keep going,” he says, but Jongdae won’t budge.

“Yi-Yifan,” he says, a terrified expression emblazoned on his face as he keeps his gaze locked on the bush. “Come here. Come here.”

“What?” Yifan sighs loudly, and then suddenly everything goes haywire.

Two people jump out of the bush and Jongdae jumps back just in time, bolting off into the forest as the two strange men chase after him. Yifan doesn’t think twice before following them at full speed.

“He’s a dragonborn!” one of the men is yelling to the other. “We have to catch him!”

“Stop!” Yifan cries, running as fast as he can. It’s hard, and he stumbles many times, but the only thing on his mind is  _Jongdae Jongdae Jongdae._ He loses sight of Jongdae and the two men, and his heart is beating faster than ever as he pushes himself to run faster.

“No!” he hears Jongdae cry, and Yifan fears the worst.

“Jongdae!” he screams, trying to reassure the dragon that he’s coming. He’s going to save Jongdae.

He finally stumbles into a clearing, where Jongdae is cowered on the ground and the two men are kicking him. Jongdae is sobbing, and it pains Yifan to hear that more than anything. He runs up and pushes the two men aside, and they’re so shocked that they don’t fight back.

“Don’t touch him,” Yifan snarls, bending down to gather Jongdae in his arms. Jongdae buries his face in Yifan’s chest, sobbing uncontrollably. “You think it’s okay to take the life of a human? What could you possibly gain from this?”

“He’s a dragonborn,” one of the men says disdainfully. “Dragons are a menace to our society.”

“He’s a human right now,” Yifan reminds them. “Leave him be.”

“Are you Keeping him?” the other man asks, and Yifan is confused, but he tries to bluff his way out of it.

“Yes…yes, I’m keeping him,” Yifan says tentatively. The men look at him and then to each other. The first one shrugs and then they look back at Yifan.

“So it’s true about the North Village,” one of the men says. Yifan has no clue what they’re talking about. “How strange.”

“Well, we’re sorry to have bothered you,” the other man says. “Keep him well.” They stalk off, muttering to each other.

Yifan’s knees give out and he and Jongdae crumple to the ground. His emotions catch up with him and he pulls Jongdae close.

“I’m so glad I got here in time,” he breathes, and Jongdae is still crying.

“I’m…glad you did…too,” Jongdae sniffles. “I was so scared. I thought I was going to die.”

“You won’t die, not while I’m around,” Yifan assures him, and he’s starting to realize just how close a shave this had been. His throat clenches up and he tells himself he’s not going to cry, but that doesn’t stop tears from pooling in his eyes. “I won’t ever let you die. I can’t lose you, Jongdae.”

“I love you,” Jongdae says suddenly, and Yifan pulls away in surprise. Jongdae won’t look Yifan in the eye, but his face is a brilliant crimson. “I won’t say it again,” he spits, tear stains still marring his cheeks. Jongdae sniffles, and Yifan pulls him close.

“I love you too,” he replies, finally letting the tears fall because he can’t believe how fast all of this has happened.

They sit there in the middle of the woods embracing each other for a very long time.

   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


They make love that night, frantic and passionate. Inside Jongdae is impossibly hot and Jongdae cries out high notes every time Yifan thrusts particularly forcefully.

Yifan collapses on top of the dragon when they both finish, and Jongdae has changed, somehow. His features have softened ever so slightly, his skin’s undertones have become more red. He’s even more beautiful than he had been before.

“Jongdae,” Yifan breathes, leaning in to kiss him. Their lips meet for the thousandth time that night, and Jongdae doesn’t try to hide how much he loves Yifan’s attention. “You’re glowing. You look different.”

“I…I have something to tell you,” Jongdae says quietly. Yifan pulls Jongdae into his arms. “Please don’t get mad.”

“What is it?” Yifan asks, more curious now that Jongdae’s made a disclaimer.

“Well, us doing…this…it’s called Keeping. I’m yours now. So, I… can’t go back to dragon form anymore. I’m permanently human. Are you mad?” Jongdae asks quietly, and Yifan smiles at him.

“I’m relieved,” Yifan sighs. “Now I don’t have any more excuses to kill you. I’ll just tell the elders. And I don’t care if I get demoted to hunter. You’re more important.”

Jongdae starts to cry again, and Yifan finally cards his fingers through the sleek black hair as he helps the both of them drift off to sleep.

   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“Courage, Yifan. Tell them what you think is right,” Jongdae whispers as they’re led into the elders’ cottage.

They come into the elders’ room and stand before the council, Yifan as nervous as ever.

“Yifan, you wish to tell us something?” one elder asks.

“Y-Yes,” Yifan says, lengthening his spine under the gazes of the elders. “I…I cannot complete my task.” The elders do not seem surprised, and it makes Yifan much more nervous. “You see, when I first set out to slay the dragon, I set up a trap that involved metal blades. A metal blade to the chest will not kill a dragon, but rather it will alter the dragon’s form. Specifically, the dragon will transform into a human. Chen is the dragon I was hunting.” Jongdae steps forward.

“Go on,” the elder says, and still none of the elders have made any sort of indication that they’re shocked.

“I…I’ve come to the realization that I can’t take an innocent life, dragon or human. And therefore I cannot complete my task.”

The eldest of the elders turns to one of the younger ones and whispers in his ear. Yifan’s heart is thumping wildly. The elder who was spoken to gets up out of his chair, and Yifan sees the unmistakable glint of an obsidian blade in his hand.

“No—wait!” Yifan cries, shielding Jongdae with his body. “You can’t kill him, please, please, I’ll do anything, just don’t—” He pauses when he feels Jongdae’s warm hand on his shoulder. He turns to see Jongdae smiling at him.

“It’s okay, Yifan.”

“No, Jongdae, I won’t let them kill you—”

The elder comes up and reaches out, and Yifan’s about to punch him in the face when Jongdae shoves Yifan forcefully away. He stumbles back as the obsidian blade nears Jongdae’s face, and suddenly, the elder cuts off a lock of Jongdae’s hair, handing the black strands to Jongdae.

“Yifan,” the head elder says, “congratulations. You have completed your task.” Yifan looks over to the elders, who are all smiling proudly.

“What?” Yifan is incredibly confused.

“The North Village has a custom of leading their villagers to understand the value of life—all life—and through the task you’re given, you have to learn that for yourself. You’ve done an excellent job. Have your reward.” Jongdae steps towards Yifan and opens his hand. Where the strands of hair used to be lies a sleek black dragon’s scale. Jongdae is smiling like the sun.

“Congratulations.” Yifan takes the scale and stares at it wondrously, not knowing quite how to process all this new information.

“This is incredible and so strange. You knew about this?” Yifan asks him as they’re escorted out of the cottage.

“Since the first day I got here,” Jongdae smirks. “Yixing told me while you were out. You want to know something else weird?”

“What?” Yifan asks.

“Xiumin’s a dragon too,” Jongdae says matter-of-factly. “I could tell the minute we walked into the village.”

“What?” Yifan cries. “Are you serious? He’s—a dragon, seriously?”

“A copper dragon, yes,” Jongdae nods, smirking nonstop. “His Draconian name is Minseok.”

“So all this time—”

“They knew I was a dragon, and I knew the nature of the task,” Jongdae nods. “Aren’t you surprised?”

“Of course I’m surprised!” Yifan cries. “This is insanity—I can’t believe any of this. But Luhan—he said he impaled the dra—oh, that’s disgusting. Impaled as in—”

“Keeping,” Jongdae laughed. “I tried so hard not to laugh every time he said it. You were so serious the whole time!”

Truthfully, everything made a little more sense now. Jongdae’s nonchalance and the two West Villagers’ reactions. Yixing’s advice and Luhan’s teasing. Minseok’s exasperation with his partner. Finally everything fit into place.

“Jongdae!” Yifan cried, suddenly panicking.

“What?” Jongdae asked.

“Zitao knows about obsidian blades!” Yifan cried. “He might actually kill a dragon!”

Jongdae shrugs. “Not if I forge him a metal blade that looks like obsidian,” he says. “They said I could be the blacksmith’s assistant. So I’ll do that for him and he can get his rainbow dragon. The dragon’s name is Sehun, by the way. He’s adorable, just what Zitao needs after being led on by you.”

“Hey,” Yifan says, elbowing Jongdae.

“Ow,” Jongdae says. “Remember, I’m still bruised from those two horrible men kicking me.”

“Sorry,” Yifan says, pulling his dragon close. “I’m so happy I can keep you.” Jongdae makes a contented noise and kisses Yifan’s cheek.

“Me too.”   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Three years later, when Zitao’s assigned to his task, he comes back from his first attempt to slay his rainbow dragon with a boy on his heels.

“This is Shixun; he’s from the west,” Zitao says feebly. The boy is wearing a hat, but it’s not hard to see the rainbow hair peeking out from underneath it.

“Hi, Shixun,” Jongdae says with a knowing smile, “I’m Chen.”


End file.
